If you are one of those disappointed international readers, here is a workaround that will help you lay your hands on Apple's magical tablet device before the official launch date.

We're sure most of you already know it. You can get Apple's iPad from eBay, the popular online auction website.

Presently, the 16GB Wi-Fi only model is available for approximately $650 to $700 on eBay while its 32GB counterpart is being sold for around $800 and the 64GB iPad model is being sold at around $900, which works out to a premium of around $150 to $200 on the US prices (plus shipping and custom duties, if any) .

Interestingly, the demand for Apple's new tablet device has been so high outside the US that eBay has now set up a microsite at ipad.ebay.com to simplify the marketplace for iPad buyers.

It needs to be noted that international users who purchased their iPads in the US will see the “Cannot Connect to the App Store. The App Store is not supported in your country” message while connecting to the App Store. So international users currently cannot download Apps from the App Store or digital content from iTunes directly on the iPad.

However, there is a workaround for this issue as well. Here is a simple step by step process for international users to download free apps to their iPad from US App Store.

Launch iTunes on your computer. If you are already logged into your international account, click on the username and choose to sign out and log back in using the US iTunes account that you just created.

Click on the App Store link and open the iPad App Store.

You should now be able to download free iPad apps for your iPad. Kindly note that you will require a US credit card or iTunes gift card based in the US to download paid iPad apps (or read further to find a workaround).

While this should be helpful for international users who purchase an iPad, do note that this process will lock your newly downloaded iPad apps to your US iTunes account. App management could thus be an issue in the future.

The other not-so-nice workaround but without the app management issue mentioned in the above process is to download the iPad apps using iTunes on your computer and then sync the apps to your iPad. The iPad apps are not visible in the International App Stores in iTunes like the US App Store, however they show up in search results and can be downloaded just like any other iPhone app and get synced to your iPad when you connect it to your computer. You can also download the universal apps that are designed for both the iPhone and iPad. You can similarly sync other iTunes content such as movies, TV Shows, music etc to your iPad.

It is expensive and not the ideal method to download apps or other iTunes content but we doubt these issues would deter our international readers from getting their iPad before the official launch. If you are among those who is planning to purchase or purchased an iPad from eBay, don't forget to let us know how it goes.

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